Calluna Events combines unique, creative and fresh ideas with amazing organizational skills and an exceptional attention to detail to create your perfect wedding or event. We’ve established an extensive network of venues and professional vendors to fit every style and budget. We offer innovative full service planning, wedding day coordination & hourly consulting.

Monday, October 11, 2010

We sat down with Wendy Brookshire of The Wishing Room about her custom stationery company located in Fort Collins, Colorado. Enjoy!

Name of business :: The Wishing Room

Years in business :: Just reaching 1 year working specifically on wedding stationery

Location :: Fort Collins, CO

Most memorable project :: Actually one I am currently working on, it is a custom design. Each invitation is a hand stitched booklet that contains pages with all the relevant wedding information, including the invite itself, maps to the location and lists of area restaurants and lodging in the area. The response card is tucked inside a sewn pocket in the back of the booklet. This is still in production but I will send photos when it is completed!

I love it when a bride and groom are :: open to ideas about their wedding stationery. Often I talk to couples that have a color scheme for their wedding or some foggy idea of a theme, and I am able to take these threads and create (or customize) stationery that really fits their personality, and what they want for their wedding. The stationery, although sadly often overlooked due to budgets, really sets the whole stage for the wedding. It is the first piece that your guests receive to give them an idea of what kind of experience they will have at the event, and carrying the look and feel throughout the ceremony and reception with stationery accessories such as programs, menus, escort and place cards, table numbers and personal notes to the guests really creates a cohesive feel to the event. Even better when the stationery is well thought out so it coordinates with all the event decor and design.

Favorite part of what we do :: This is tough. I love to design. I love coming up with great new ideas for my current line, and being able to really stretch my creativity with custom work. However, I also love hearing from the brides how much they love my products and how much it added to the feel of their wedding.

Favorite kind of bride :: Again, probably the ones who have some vague idea of what they want but are willing to talk about it and to get ideas of what might work well with their ideas of their wedding theme. Like everything associated with weddings, most brides don't know what's possible until they turn to the professionals, and they are really happy they did because they are so pleased with the results, which they realize they could not have achieved on their own.

What sets us apart :: I think a few things are key to The Wishing Room. One is the design. We come from a strong and long background of graphic design, so we really focus on the design (colors, typography, imagery, sizes of pieces and the way they feel in your hand, the way the pieces in the set relate to each other, just for starters) to make our invitation sets great pieces of art. I have seen quite a few companies that do wedding invitations that really look like they could have been created with Word. Problems with typography, imagery and composition, as well as a real lack of inspired creativity is, unfortunately, quite common in this industry. I hope to be able to allow brides to see there is a difference with good design, and that it doesn't have to break the bank.

There has been a trend over the past few years of wedding stationery being pared back to very "clean" looking, which can be interpreted as sophisticated if done right, but many designs just turn out incredibly boring. I think a lot of people, whether it be brides thinking of who they will send the invites to, or invite companies who are trying to appeal to every bride out there, who have a tendency to dumb things down and try to aim for the simplest look, trying to please everyone. We believe that your wedding stationery should really reflect you as a person, both of you as a couple, the wedding itself and your real lives. That gives us the freedom to be able to really infuse a lot of personality into our work. A little bold for some brides for sure, but for someone who just wants something super simple with not a lot of personality, we will probably not be the stationer for them.

Another thing that sets us apart is our level of service. We stay with the client all the way thru to the end and make sure every detail is right before we go to print. We are perfectionists which drives US crazy but guarantees the clients are always thrilled with their products. (which they are.)

Trends we are seeing in 2010 are :: Nature! I am definitely getting the most out of my nature-inspired designs. Ironically enough I have several invite suites I designed specifically for Colorado weddings (very rustic and natural looking) that have been very popular with some of my brides living on the East Coast. Go figure.

One tip for invitations on a budget :: Shop around. Some of the best designs I have seen are really fairly priced, while others that are really not memorable at all are outrageous, which really makes things harder on those of us who like to offer quality products at really fair prices. Give yourself the time to find what you want, and remember that if you do try to do things yourself you will more than likely spend more money than you think, way more time than you think, and probably not be very pleased with the outcome. I don't know how many times I have heard this from brides, who tried to save time and money by doing their own save-the-dates (and then call me) or I hear afterwards they wish they had just gotten what they wanted because they spent a lot, wasted time and are not happy with their invitations. And remember too that invitations serve as a reminder of the day for years and years, and having a design that reflects that day is really important not just for you but for your family and guests who attend.

Anything else :: ...ummmm...we love what we do, and would love to help all of your brides with their stationery so it really is a reflection of themselves and their wedding day. We have a catalog of great designs that can all be customized with colors of ink and paper, and wording options, and we also do custom work. Oh, and we're REALLY nice people too. That's important.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

We sat down with Jaclyn Webb of Lemon Sprinkle Events, a new Colorado wedding company that creates stunning, fun and stylish dessert tables for weddings, parties and events. Enjoy this interview with Jaclyn!

Business Name :: Lemon Sprinkle Events

Years in Business :: We are very new! Just a few months old

Location :: Denver, but we can work all over the state

Most memorable wedding yet :: I just got married 2 months ago, so my own wedding is still on my mind! I had a great dessert table with some amazing Tee & Cakes cupcakes as the centerpiece. I also brought in some classic nostalgic candy favorites from my childhood. The colors were navy, chartreuse and slate, and i had a lot of DIY details.I love it when a bride and groom :: I love when a bride and groom have great ideas. I like to be able to take someone's vision and make it a sweet reality. I also love creating dessert tables for weddings with an interesting theme or a vivid color scheme, it makes it really fun to search for special candies, unique desserts and beautiful decor.

Favorite thing to do for a wedding :: I love desserts... so of course the dessert table is the best part of the wedding in my mind! I love providing the bride and groom with something truly unforgettable. I love creating dessert buffets because they are always different and always bring out the candy love kid within us.

My favorite kind of bride is :: My favorite kind of bride is one who plans early! Dessert tables have a lot of details and I love to spent the time to create custom paper goods, decorations, backdrops and labels for my dessert bars. I also love brides who can enjoy their own wedding and indulge in a sweet ending with a cupcake, brownie or whatever makes their mouth water.

What sets us apart :: Lemon Sprinkle Events focuses on one thing... amazing, beautiful and delicious dessert tables. We take the time to plan every detail and make sure that each dessert buffet is completely different from the last. We provide personalized service for brides who are far too busy to worry about the sweets!

Trends we are seeing for 2010 and beyond :: Brides are no longer satisfied with just a cake. Many brides are moving toward more elaborate spreads with candy jars cupcakes, cake pops, tarts, and more. We are also seeing some imaginative dessert bars with treats like ice cream, milkshakes, donuts, and custom beverages. We love it. Anything else you would like to add :: Being a new business, we are really excited to create some stunning dessert tables.

We want to extend an offer for $50 off any dessert table ($300 minimum) to brides who mention that they saw us on Calluna Events. Be the first of your friends to wow your guests with something sweet and special.

At Calluna Events, we have planned numerous weddings and special events that have incorporated green elements or were 100% green. Working with specific vendors in the Colorado area who are committed to being green, we can pass along tips and ideas to our brides for making their wedding green and environmentally friendly. We’ve helped brides compost the food and flowers from their wedding, serve all local foods, as well as organic/biodynamic wines at the reception, designing with local and organic flowers, print their stationery on recycled papers and those printed with soy based inks, purchase carbon off-sets for their guests travel, set up donations to environmental organizations in lieu of favors, reduce the waste and excess that come with weddings, purchase used bridesmaids dresses and used recycled materials for a handmade wedding dress, and much more! In addition to helping our brides plan eco-friendly events, we are committed as a company to being green.

Calluna Events combines unique, creative and fresh ideas with unparalleled organizational skills and an exceptional attention to detail to create your perfect wedding or special event. Based in Boulder Colorado, we offer full service planning along the Front Range and Mountains of Colorado and beyond. Let us help infuse your style and personality into the event you’ve always imagined!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

The time has come for Four Seasons Hotel Denver to open their doors! They are excited to welcome and embrace the Denver community by hosting a Grand opening Party, which will be held on Saturday, November 6, 2010 from 6:00PM to 10:00PM. The party will feature a performance by the musical group OneRepublic, in addition to numerous other fabulous entertainers and performing artists.

The party will be a ticketed affair to benefit longstanding Denver organizations: The Denver Center for Performing Arts, The Denver Zoo, The Kempe Foundation, and the The University of Colorado Hospital Foundation benefiting the University of Colorado Cancer Center.

Tickets are $325 per person and all proceeds will benefit the charities. To purchase tickets, please visit www.fourseasonsgrandopening.com. There you will find information about the event, and will be able to easily purchase tickets online.

It is sure to be a spectacular and memorable occasion!Thanks for reading!Calluna EventsColorado Wedding Planner